Compare / In-house SOC
EFROS MDR vs. in-house SOC.
A real 24/7 in-house SOC is expensive to build and harder to keep staffed than most CFOs expect. We see the actual numbers because clients come to us after running the math themselves. Here's what those engagements actually look like, compared with EFROS MDR. No marketing math, just what shows up in real budgets.
The cost side of the ledger
| Cost category | In-house 24/7 SOC | EFROS MDR |
|---|---|---|
| People (loaded cost, 24/7 coverage) | 8-10 analysts × $140K-$180K loaded = $1.2M-$1.8M/yr. Plus SOC manager + IR lead: $300K+ | Included in monthly fee |
| SIEM / XDR platform licensing | $200K-$800K/yr depending on data volume and vendor | Included, or we co-manage your existing licenses |
| EDR / endpoint platform | $40-$80 per endpoint/yr × 1,000-10,000 endpoints | Included (or bring your own) |
| Threat intelligence feeds | $100K-$300K/yr for commercial feeds | Included |
| Ongoing training & certifications | $15K-$25K per analyst/yr | Our problem |
| Turnover cost (avg SOC analyst tenure: 18-24 months) | $80K-$120K per replacement (recruiting, ramp, lost productivity) | Our problem |
| 24/7 coverage reality | Realistically requires 10+ FTEs to cover shifts, leave, training, and attrition without gaps | 50+ analysts on rotation, no coverage gaps |
Typical all-in comparison
For a mid-market organization (1,000-5,000 endpoints, 500-2,500 employees) running a mature 24/7 in-house SOC:
- In-house 24/7 SOC, all-in TCO$2.2M - $3.8M / yr
- EFROS MDR equivalent~15-25% of in-house
- Time to full coverage12-18 mo vs. 6-8 wk
The capability side of the ledger
| Capability | In-house | EFROS MDR |
|---|---|---|
| Time to first detection coverage | 6-18 months to build out | 2-4 weeks |
| MTTD | Depends entirely on your staff's ability and tooling maturity | Under 5 minutes by SLA |
| MTTC | Requires pre-authorized playbooks + tooling integration | Under 15 minutes by SLA |
| Detection content / threat intel | Build yourself or buy separately | Custom content tuned weekly, aligned to MITRE ATT&CK |
| Threat hunting | Only if you can staff Tier 3 | Weekly, hypothesis-driven, mapped to MITRE |
| Regulator / auditor readiness | You build the evidence pipeline | Continuous evidence collection built in |
When in-house makes sense
- You have > 25,000 employees and a mature security org
- Your business model depends on proprietary threat intel (defense, intel community)
- You operate in a regulatory regime that prohibits third-party access
- You already have a functioning SOC and are asking about marginal expansion
When managed makes sense
- You need 24/7 coverage but your team is under 10,000 employees
- You can't sustainably hire and retain Tier 2/3 SOC talent
- You need detection coverage in weeks, not years
- You want operating expense instead of capital + headcount commitment
- You want a predictable SLA rather than best-effort internal response